What You Will Learn
How staying active can support gut motility.
Breaking your fast vs just not eating for various reasons.
The power of slowing down and enjoying your meal to avoid digestive discomfort.
The mindset that can prevent a GI disaster for the holidays.
The decorations, school performances, parties, and hopefully church attendance can only mean one thing... Christmas and the holidays are here! The holiday season is for many the most beautiful time of the year, yet it can often become the most stressful one. Gift shopping, cooking, social gatherings, and last-minute errands can bring the feeling of anxiety, unhealthy coping skills, and elevated expectations.
We believe that the greatest gift you can give yourself during this special time is self-care. Read on to find the 4 main tips we use as Integrative Registered Dietitians for over a decade, as people who have overcome disease, and as parents who find peace and support for our gut health during the holidays and beyond.
Stay Active!
Winter calls for cozy moments spent with family and good food. While this is true, being sedentary equals less energy and muscle stiffness, which can discourage you even more from moving your body.
Even a 5-minute stroll around the block will help get your lymphatic fluid flowing, improve energy levels, and get your bowels moving! Most importantly, physical activity after eating can help avoid that post-meal slump, bloat, and support digestion!
Feeling energized after movement will also make you more likely to repeat the action. Go for a walk, participate in a Christmas 5k, walk in a holiday parade…The options are limitless!
And remember - don’t think of movement as another chore on your holiday list or a mandatory sentence to burn every calorie in holiday foods. Instead, give yourself a chance to focus on other benefits while you build or maintain new healthy habits during this magical time!
Eat a Balanced Breakfast
You might be thinking: ‘Why should I eat breakfast before the Holiday feast? ’I want to save my appetite!
While eating before a hearty holiday meal sounds counterintuitive, having a balanced plate as your first meal will help with appetite control the entire day. Don't get us wrong, fasting is excellent for your health and we should do it daily, however, purposely starving yourself or being too busy to eat is not the same as healthy fasting.
Combining proteins, carbohydrates, and fats helps stabilize blood sugar levels throughout the day. That in-turn minimizes the risk of sugar crash – a sudden drop in blood sugar levels that can result in weakness, dizziness, headache, and worse yet- hanger!
Studies show that feeding your microbes will not only help you have better blood sugar control, but these microbes are vital to almost all functions of the body. There is quite literally a gut-everything connection. You are not just feeding yourself, you are feeding your microbes. We are better understanding that without a robust ecosystem of microbes we are in chaos.
So, instead of waiting all day to eat, serve yourself a delicious breakfast – fill half of your plate with high plant-protein, the other half with complex carbohydrates, consisting mostly of non-starchy veggies for an extra benefit.
These are some ideas for a complete, #GoodGut first meal full of nutrients that will help you power through a busy fun-filled day:
Tofu scramble on sourdough bread with a side of veggies!
Breakfast burrito with beans, spinach, bell peppers, onions, cilantro, and avocado!
Almond chia seed pudding topped with fruit and nut butter!
Oatmeal, protein powder with almond butter and blueberries!
Slow Down & Enjoy
No matter how busy and burdened you are feeling this holiday season, we wanted to let you know we see you and empathize. Many things this time of year can give rise to deep feelings, that is why it is usually very beneficial to slow down.
In our lives of losing loved ones, having family trauma, and being around those who are dealing with their own issues, it is always best to check in with yourself. When you slow down you might realize what is affecting you most is who you are eating with vs what you are eating. Emotions, feelings, anxiety, and more can drastically effect your health.
That’s where mindfulness and mindful eating can help. Being aware of your body, your mind, your spirit can have amazing benefits to the gut. On top of that, mindful eating embraces experience around food, thoughts and feelings, and the eating environment.
The concept of mindfulness calls for paying attention to hunger cues, bringing all senses to the table, slow eating through proper and sufficient chewing- at least 20-30 chews per bite! Mindful eating is a powerful tool that can help improve your relationship with food and even resolve gastrointestinal symptoms.
Heal With Each Holiday Meal!
We want you all to continue to Feel With Each Meal and Heal With Each MealTM as we round this year out and move into the next. So, before a holiday meal, stop for a second to check in with yourself by asking the following questions:
How am I feeling right now?
Am I present at this moment?
Am I truly hungry?
Will eating solve any of the above (hunger, sadness, irritability, stress, etc)?
Then take extra time to chew your food thoroughly, savor every bite, pay attention to tastes, textures, temperatures, sounds, and consistencies of your favorite meals... This will prevent you from overeating and help set a stage for a Good Gut holiday!
If you are having trouble doing any of these tips, then take time to see why. Are you too busy? Are people places, or things standing in your way? Do you need help?
In Summary:
While these 4 tips can seem easy, don't be surprised if you struggle and give yourself grace.
Lack of physical activity can result in a more stagnant gut, bloating, gas, and reflux.
Movement improves energy levels and moves nutrients throughout your body.
A balanced plate feeds your microbes, let them eat first.
Having balanced meals prior to holiday gatherings will make you less likely to overeat later in the day.
Being mindful includes mindful eating, bringing all senses to the table, and other people – it can be a helpful tool to improve your relationship with food and resolve GI symptoms.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! We hope you continue to Heal with Each MealTM
Interested in reading more blogs similar to this? Click here
Having GI Symptoms and Don't Know Where to Start? Click Here
Want to Join Us In-Person? Click Here
Sign Up for Our Newsletter Click Here
Become a Patient Click Here
Meet the Team: See which Dietitian is Right for You! Click Here
Try our Therapeutically Formulated Gut Nurture! Click Here
References:
Nelson J. B. (2017). Mindful Eating: The Art of Presence While You Eat. Diabetes spectrum : a publication of the American Diabetes Association, 30(3), 171–174. https://doi.org/10.2337/ds17-0015
Palmnäs-Bédard, M. S. A., Costabile, G., Vetrani, C., Åberg, S., Hjalmarsson, Y., Dicksved, J., Riccardi, G., & Landberg, R. (2022). The human gut microbiota and glucose metabolism: a scoping review of key bacteria and the potential role of SCFAs. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 116(4), 862–874. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqac217
Park, S. H., Videlock, E. J., Shih, W., Presson, A. P., Mayer, E. A., & Chang, L. (2016). Adverse childhood experiences are associated with irritable bowel syndrome and gastrointestinal symptom severity. Neurogastroenterology and motility, 28(8), 1252–1260. https://doi.org/10.1111/nmo.12826
Kommentare